Without Her
by fanficfan444
Summary: You all know the story. Boy meets girl and they grow up and save the world together. But what if they hadn't met? What if Annabeth never ran away from home when she was 7? How would Percy fair? This is a rewrite of the story i started years ago. I own nothing, Riordan is king. etc. Rated T for mild gore and probably some swearing. (i have a potty mouth soz)


**Hi everyone** **, so I have decided to re-write this fic, as I started it when I was much more inexperienced as a writer, but if you recognise the concept that will be why, the story should be much more developed though and hopefully of a higher quality.**

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 **WITHOUT HER**

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 **Annabeth's POV:**

The echo of my feet slapping against the pavement is a near constant thrum in my ears, almost indistinguishable from the pounding of my heart. My thighs ache, and my chest burns with the strain of gasping for air. The relatively light rucksack I have on my back feels as though it is now made of led. These however, are the least of my concerns. Even after all the miles I have run, I can hear the now familiar pants and snarls of my pursuer. I cannot comprehend how I have even managed to make it this far, the size of the beast behind me unlike any I have come across. I know in my hearts of hearts that however much it resembles a dog, that thing is no household pet.

As I round a particularly sharp corner into yet another dark stretch of alleyway, I really question the life decisions that possessed me to run away from my sheltered home in San Francisco and travel across the country to New York. I mean my step-mother isn't exactly a red-eyed demon, and she couldn't catch me if she was… Which this creature was dangerously close to achieving.

Pushing myself even faster I dart out of the alley and into a residential area, the roads on the edges of Manhattan having gone quiet in the dead of night. In my haste to cross the narrow road I miss a small pothole in my path and fall flat on my front, knocking the wind out of my lungs and probably grazing the entire left side of my face. Scrambling onto my back I look behind me only to come face to face with the foulest mutt I have seen in my life. In a last ditch effort to escape I turn and try to rise, but for my efforts the beast sinks its claws into my leg and drags me back. I grit my teeth and grunt through the pain as I feel hot breath against my neck and what can only be an enormous fang scrape the back of my head. Screwing my eyes shut I pray for it to be quick. But instead of sinking teeth and pain, I hear the rumble of an engine. Opening my eyes I sigh in relief to see an old truck speeding towards us. The truck honks and has to get dangerously close to me before I am let go.

"Miss? Are you hurt?" the driver asks, head out of the window and looking ready to get out, "that was one nasty looking Rottweile- ARHGH!" as I am sitting up the beast appears from the shadows, a blur as it runs at the vehicle head on, flipping it and sending it flying off the road and into a nearby wall. The driver's cries immediately go silent. I can only look on in shock at the scene. The monster appears to be dazed by the attack, shaking its head to clear it.

Getting to my feet my mind goes in a thousand directions, but they all circle back to me running while I still have an advantage. That is quite obviously the best option for my survival, and as I look toward the wreck of the truck, my stomach clenches in guilt as I see the indisputable evidence of death. The driver's side is completely crushed against the wall and… it isn't pretty. Spinning as fast as I can away from the scene I stumble down the gap between two buildings. I'm unsure as to whether I'm running out of fear or guilt but all my brain wants is to be anywhere else.

This proves rather hard with the injury I have sustained to my calf. It definitely feels as though there is a partial tear to my gastrocnemius as I hobble as quickly as possible down the alleyway. As I exit the narrow path, a howl rips through the air turning my blood cold. My absence has definitely been noticed. I push forward down the street, no hopes of hiding with my blood trailing behind me. Honestly I don't know what I hope to achieve by struggling on, but by this point my body is working off adrenaline and survival instinct alone. I hear the beast crashing through the alley behind me and keep pushing. I hear it enter the street and growl as it inevitably spots me limping away, and I still keep pushing. Because if there's one thing I never have and never will do, it's give up. Never.

So with this in mind, knowing it would be fruitless to keep running with my leg the way it is, I draw myself up to my full height and turn to face the hound as it bounds towards me. Its growls grow louder as it approaches, and in return I release my own frustrations.

"COME ON THENN!" I cry, my throat hoarse from dehydration. Before I close my eyes, the last thing I see is the beast leap into the air, mouth wide and claws outstretched.

.

.

But neither the razer-sharp claws nor the massive fangs make contact, and the growling is suddenly cut short by the sound of a pained yelp. Startled, I manage to crack my eyes open just in time to see a blazing red eye turn into dust and disappear.

Instead, standing tall in front of me, sword raised exactly where the monster's stomach just existed, is a raven haired boy, no older than myself and yet something about the way he way he held himself screamed 'Danger.'

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 **(A/N)**

 **How's that to kick off this rewrite? Im rather happy with the changes but by all means please give me your own feedback. I was really proud of the concept originally but I definitely feel that this version has much more promise. Review pls!**


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